Iskaldhal

Iskaldhal, icy continent of the north. Home to dragons and dwarves, destruction and desolation...
— gloomy traveller

Iskaldhal, the Northern Continent of Istralar, is a large continent that sits further north than any other true continent on the planet of Istralar. It is a heavily mountainous continent with northern reaches that receive very little sun, and it has been the birthplace of many of Istralar's most powerful legends. Until 5626, it was home to the effects of the Harp of Virtue.

Gildómar by Hanhula (via Midjourney)

It is home to the nations of Gildómar, Hvalgora, Yksinka, Halsgard, Volkur, Sjarvaldir, Restruja, Fjolkandr, K'zudh Ev, Polyhedra, Falthorin, Naarim, and Myrkalla. Similarly, it also plays home to the snow elven tribes of the Querei, the Elsrei, the Isyrei, and the Nisrei, and their accompanying lands of Jäätta, the Tower of Sathelis, and Mt Firanthul. The Vaeltajat are another similar group of tribal wanderers across the Kylmävikk Desert. Other tribes made up of Iskaldhal's witch population claim the region around Siellumearra and Kyöpelinvuori - these are known as the Witch-Tribes, formed of incredibly powerful witches that choose to reject the trappings of standard society. They are not the sole magical danger of Iskaldhal. Countless dragons make their home across the northern continent, indeed littering it with their Shrines of Stone long ago before the Shattering of Skies. Some exist in harmony with mortals, even founding Fjarsjodan as a safe haven for mortals to live under draconic might, whilst others act as scourges and terrors.

Two liches also make their homes on Iskaldhal as ever-present threats. Seiðrkolva, enigmatic lich and occasional ally to the living, dwells in her tower of Foldauth, a stone's throw away from the Ruby Shrine. To the west, uncomfortably close to the northern reaches of Gildómar and a constant threat to the dwarves living there, is Akha Ekhursan, home to Toraldis Máladeilan - undying scourge. In recent years, a former captive of his - Valdis, Banshee Queen - has broken free of her imprisonment in the Onyx Shrine Toraldis had captured. With unknown powers, she has begun to terrorise the western reaches - Naarim, in particular, has been a primary target of her ire.

Geography

Iskaldhal landscape by Hanhula (via Midjourney)

With the amount of magic that has swirled through Iskaldhal, it's a wonder the landscape manages to survive in any recognisable form!
— dwarven observer

The geography of Iskaldhal is vast and varied. The centre of the continent holds the Heartforge of Iskaldhal and the Hands of the First that guard it; these are some of the tallest mountains of Iskaldhal. Mountain ranges sprawl across much of the continent, falling off into the flatness of the Kylmävikk Desert and the lake Siellumearra in the north, and into the pine forests and tundra of the south. Glaciers and heavy constant snowfall lead to a great number of lakes dotting the continent, and immense rivers to carry the melting snow to the sea in springtime. Despite the size of Iskaldhal's rivers, they are only used for trade in the nicest weather, else they are too unpredictable. Near Siellumearra is the tallest of Iskaldhal's many mountains - the sky-piercing Kyöpelinvuori, streaked through with Istralite. Though it is undoubtably the tallest of the mountains, no recent attempts have been made to determine the second-tallest due to the continent's inherent dangers, and even a full accounting of the mountain's height is a genuine impossibility.

Localized Phenomena

The First Divine War, the Shattering of Skies, the Second Divine War and the Worldrend that ensued... Our continent is threadbare, every conflict tearing it further apart.
— Hvalgoran scholar

Iskaldhal is a continent that wears its scars proudly, from the timeless Gate of Dust to the Heartforge of Iskaldhal's lancing memories of a fallen god. Constant devastating storms wrack the continent influenced by chaotic magics; each one stirs up great horrors from the depths of frozen deserts and icy mountains, and wreaks utter havoc on the lives of helpless mortals.

Iskaldhan Eruption by Hanhula (via Midjourney)

The continent's northern reaches are always the epicentre of the worst effects - indeed, many suspect that Jäätta fell because of one such storm's impact - whilst the south ekes out some relative shelter in the shadow of mountains. Earthquakes, blizzards, and other natural phenomena are also incredibly common across the continent as the complex joining of tectonic plates beneath it shifts. Though volcanic activity is relatively rare (such things are more populous on Takawaoku), they are not unknown; indeed, the Heartforge itself is an immense caldera for some form of shield volcano that has been active for millennia. More violent eruptions of this central volcano trigger extreme effects for the continent; careful observation of the fluctuations in the Iceflows is used as just one method of predicting these explosive shifts.

Maps

Iskaldhal
The continent of Iskaldhal is a wild place. Witch-Tribes rule in the shadows as dragons soar overhead and mysterious artifacts from lost millennia lurk in distant icy reaches.